Scarweather Sands: poll results reveal 3 times as many local people in favour of wind power
More than three times as many local residents support the Scarweather
Sands offshore windfarm proposal for Swansea Bay than oppose it, according to results of an independent poll carried out by ICM research and released today.
Residents were surveyed within three local authority areas, Swansea, Neath/Port Talbot and Bridgend. 54% of respondents said they supported the Scarweather Sands windfarm proposal, while only 14% said they were opposed to the development.
Support for the offshore windfarm was strongest amongst those who lived closest to the coast. 58% of residents living within 3 miles of the coast supported the plans with 14% opposed. The most active public debate about the windfarm has taken place within the Bridgend authority area. Here opinions were slightly stronger with 60% in favour and 16% opposed.
The results of the independent poll represent a huge show of local support for the Scarweather Sands windfarm ahead of a public inquiry into the proposal, which is due to start tomorrow (4 November).
The public inquiry will be taking place at Port Talbot and is expected to take about four weeks before passing on its recommendations to the Welsh Assembly.
Natasha Richards from Greenpeace, who lives locally, said: "The people have spoken - and they are saying 'Yes to Wind!' This poll proves that the quiet majority support clean energy for Swansea Bay. If the public inquiry genuinely represents the will of local residents, then the Scarweather Sands windfarm will get the go-ahead.
"We urgently need to move away from dirty forms of energy to combat the very real threat of climate change, and the Scarweather Sands windfarm is a giant leap in the right direction. Now is the time for Councillors, Assembly Members and MPs to listen to their constituents and put South Wales at the heart of the new clean energy era."
The proposed windfarm will lie three miles off the coast of Porthcawl, and will produce enough electricity to supply 80,000 homes - equivalent to a town the size of Swansea.
For more information, contact the Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255, or 07717 704 577.
Notes for editors:
The poll was commissioned by Greenpeace and carried out independently by ICM Research.
ICM Research interviewed a random selection of 506 adults aged 18+, by telephone between 14-15 October 2003.
Interviews were conducted in the Bridgend, Neath/Port Talbot and Swansea local authorities and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults in these local authorities.
Greenpeace is an independent campaigning group that does not stand to benefit financially from the proposed windfarm.
People were asked: To what extent do you support or oppose the Scarweather windfarm proposal? The overall results were:
| Strongly support
| 27% |
| Somewhat support | 27% |
| Neither support nor oppose | 21% |
| Somewhat oppose | 6% |
| Strongly oppose | 8% |
| Don't know/Not stated | 10% |
Journalists can obtain a copy of the poll by contacting the Greenpeace press office.
Find out more about the campaign for off-shore wind in Swansea Bay
